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Evolution Emerging, which sees local talent play in venues in the Ouseburn Valley, will still take place

An annual music festival in the North East has been postponed for a year to enable organisers to "focus on other projects".

Evolution Festival, which is held on the Newcastle Gateshead Quayside, has seen the likes of Paloma Faith, Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah headline.

The event, which has attracted thousands of festival-goers each year, will not go ahead in 2014.

Promoters said postponing the event "does not signal the end".

In a statement, promoters Jim Mawdsley and and Dave Stone, said: 'We have really enjoyed putting on such a great music event for the people of the North East over the past 15 years and bringing so many fantastic acts to this great city.

"Our workloads on other projects have increased substantially and we thought it was sensible to take a year out in 2014. This does not signal the end of Evolution simply a pause whilst we focus on other projects."

Evolution Emerging, which sees local talent play in venues in the Ouseburn Valley, will still take place.

In previous years, the festival has attracted about 40,000 people and led to almost 90% occupancy in hotels in Newcastle and Gateshead.